Sins prevent goodness from Allāh. Goodness in the form of material blessings and in the form of spiritual ones, like understanding of the Qurʾān, humility in prayer and high attainment in periods of mercy, like the month Ramaḍān. When people enter the blessed month of Ramaḍān with high hopes for themselves and achieve only a little, more often than not, it is their sins preventing them from success. This is why scholars advise that to prepare for a month like…
When you are trying to understand an āyah and you know that there is a treasure trove right at your finger tips, yet you cannot seem to access it. When you are frustrated, you are upset, you have done all that you can, yet you end up at a closed gate–a figurative one, but one that keeps you from getting to that treasure. That block that you experience is the darkness of the heart that prevents you from understanding the āyāt…
In the Qurʾān we often see parallels between the sending down of rain and the sending down of waḥī (Divine Revelation). This parallel between the concrete and the abstract is common in the Qurʾān. It helps us visualise the effect of what we cannot see directly. Imagine rain water. What happens when rain falls? It washes the surface of the ground; it removes the dirt; then it given life to a barren land. When the words and the meanings of…
It is crucial to tie your emotions to your ʿibādāt. (Remember, the pillars of worship are three: love, hope, and fear—all of which are emotions.) For this reason, scholars say that it is essential to anticipate the month of Ramaḍān with feelings of happiness, joy, and hope of earning the blessings of this month. We cannot meet any favour of Allāh with denial, and first step towards denying a favour of Allāh is to undervalue it. You undervalue the month…
A man reviled Ibn ʿAbbās, so he replied, “You revile me even though I have three traits: When I learn something about an āyah from the Book of Allāh, I wish that everyone would know it too; when I hear about a ruler from the rulers of Muslims who governs justly I become happy, even though I may never have to go to him for a ruling; and when I hear about a rainfall in a land from the lands…
❝When you love someone for the sake of Allāh, it is Allāh who you truly love. So whenever you remember that person in your heart, you are reminded of your true love (Allāh) and this automatically increases your love for that person.❞ In another place Ibn Taymiyah explains that when you love someone for a specific reason (what they do for, what they give you, how they make you feel, etc) you don’t really love them, you love that thing…